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04-Jan-2011 -- This report is the second out of a series of three confluences that we visited during a three-week bicycle tour through Cuba. The story starts from 23°N 82°W.

According to the report of the previous visitors, there is a military base within some 250 m from the confluence point. For this reason, I almost would have skipped this point. Running round with a GPS device and taking pictures right next to a military zone is certainly an act that provokes trouble. However, images of Google earth didn’t show any evidence of a military camp, so I made an attempt.

Our starting point was actually quite some distance from the confluence: Soroa, the village where we stayed is located at the southern side of the mountain range “Cordillera de Guaniguanico”, some 40 km away. In the morning at 8 a.m., I left Soroa with my bicycle and rode up the 300 m ascent to the top of the Cordillera, and then coasted down to the north coast. I followed a bit the coastal drive in eastern direction and at a distance of 8 km, there is a turnoff towards the village Pablo de la Torriente Brau, named after a famous Cuban writer (in some maps the name Orozco is given which refers to the name of the Bay). In Pablo de la Torriente Brau (5 km from CP) I had a stop to drink water. At a distance of 4 km, I passed a military camp. This was the only military facility I saw. Taking into account that military is omnipresent in the north coast, the distance of 4 km is probably as far as you can get between two military facilities.

The next intersection is at 1.7 km. There, I turned into a dusty road with a lot of traffic from carriages drawn by horses. The nearest you can get from this road is 280 m. But if you overshoot a little, you can turn right (towards the south) and follow a track until you reach a gate. Right at the gate, there is a footpath that allows you to access the confluence easily. I abandoned my bicycle at a distance of 200 m and followed the path.

The direct vicinity of the confluence point is actually not covered by dense scrubs, but consists of open grassland with scattered acacia trees. I didn’t meet anyone and enjoyed the peaceful nature (with many palm trees and flowers). The direct confluence however, is grown over by a thorny acacia shrub, giving me a hard time finding all zeros. The sea is only 60 m from the confluence point, but cannot be seen at the point itself.

On the way back I was offered a complete meal in the canteen of the village Pablo de la Torriente Brau for only 1 Peso national currency, which is equivalent to 4 cents. I traversed the mountain range again and reached Soroa in the afternoon at 4 pm.